The invention relates to a heat exchanger assembly for a motor vehicle.
It relates more particularly to a heat exchanger assembly comprising a main exchanger having a body mounted between two manifolds, on which is fitted at least one secondary exchanger having a body mounted between two manifolds, so that a common air stream can pass through the respective bodies of the said exchangers.
The fitting of one or more secondary exchangers onto a main exchanger, such as a cooling radiator of a motor vehicle engine, is already known, so as to form an assembly, also called a module, ready to be installed in the vehicle. This secondary exchanger is most frequently formed of a supercharging air cooler of the engine or of an air-conditioning condenser.
In the module formed in this manner, the secondary exchanger may be disposed, according to the case, either upstream or downstream from the main exchanger, in relation to the direction in which the air stream passing through the respective bodies of the exchangers circulates.
The fitting of the exchanger or exchangers onto the main exchanger is obtained generally by means of lugs integral with the secondary exchanger and screws introduced into the manifolds of the main exchanger. These lugs may be made of plastic material and moulded integrally with the secondary exchanger, or be metallic and soldered onto the secondary exchanger.
Usually, the fixing of these lugs is achieved by tapping screws introduced into studs or bosses which the manifolds of the main exchanger have.
Such an assembly by screws is an expensive operation which is incompatible with the high rates imposed by assembly lines of the automotive industry.
Moreover, the dismounting of the exchangers in the event of intervention on the vehicle is often made difficult.